Are you anxious about finding enough content for your blog and other materials? Don’t sweat it – there’s someone with an endless supply of ideas right beside you.
Coming up with content can seem like a challenge, sometimes. Many accounting firms struggle with the issue, fearing they’ll have nothing to say. It’s natural to experience writer’s block occasionally, but you should never actually lack for content ideas. There is a veritable font of ideas accessible to you every day that you may not even recognize. What is this secret wellspring of creativity, you ask? Your clients!
That’s right, your clients are handing you a wonderfully rich stream of potential topics for blog posts, videos and discussion points for all kinds of communications. In every interaction with you, they’re letting you know what it is they want to learn more about and need to know. Just listen to what they’re saying, and you’ll never be without subject matter. When you need inspiration for content, simply think about your clients and provide:
Answers they want:
Clients call with questions for you as a matter of course. Keep a mental (or better yet, written) list of these as they come in and regularly create short, informative content pieces that address them. If you’re hearing the question, it’s highly likely that even more people out there are wondering the same thing. Becoming known as the firm with the answers can only be a good thing, wouldn’t you say?
Education they need:
When tax changes or new legislation will impact your clients, take the opportunity to prepare your readers. Offer an explanation of the changes and their consequences. Then share strategies for your readers to use so that they’ll be in the best position to take advantage of the new policies or avoid difficulties down the line.
A good story:
What have you struggled to learn in the past? Did you try and fail more than once before finding an effective approach to whatever it was? Sharing this kind of story helps your readers relate to you, because we’ve all been there. It also demonstrates your persistence and the fact that you’re someone who’s willing to work to get it right, rather than giving up or simply settling for a less successful outcome.
A platform for their stories:
Tell a client’s story in the form of a case study. These are great tools for illustrating the value of the services you provide, and they’re fun to read as well. Readers can easily identify with the challenges faced by the client. Reading about how you solved the problem gives them a real understanding of what you could do for their own business. Try to write these using your client’s words to the degree possible, for two reasons. First, your client will appreciate the attention it brings his or her business. Second, it’s far more believable to hear someone else talk about how awesome you are than to hear you say it.
Your clients are supplying inspiration for content every time they ask you a question, come to you with a problem or thank you for a job well done. Now that you know, you’ll start seeing opportunities for relevant content all around you. The hard part is done – now all you have to do is develop it!
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Great guest post by Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, president of bbr marketing
The post For the Best Content Suggestions, Listen to Your Clients appeared first on BizActions | Thomson Reuters.